The Liebster Award

I’ve been nominated for a blogging award! Thank you so much Chaz from Life of Chaz for nominating me; I think. We’ll see if I’m still thanking you by the end when I’m trying to come up with only ten tags D:

Firstly, what is The Liebster Award?

So it’s an actual award thing with a prize [I had no idea. This ramps up the pressure somewhat].
Essentially it’s an internet award given to bloggers by other bloggers. You must answer questions but in turn come up with your own unique questions to ask other bloggers. The purpose is to provide a platform for discovering new blogs.

You can find out anything else you need to know, as well as the 2017 winner, at the Official Blog Post.

Let’s dive right in to Chaz’ questions!

You have to team up with one villain to try to conquer the world – Who are you going to choose as your partner?

This requires some thought. What kind of level of evil do I want to aim for here, do I want guaranteed chances of conquer but high risks of being murdered in the process? Or someone less… effective but more trustworthy? And I should probably look for someone who isn’t emotionally invested in anything, like vengeance, so I can ensure their full attention to the task at hand.
I may be overthinking this.
I could choose the Lord Ruler from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. He has plenty of power at his fingertips, that would certainly come in handy. I’m not going to question what he needs me for and how disposable I’d be, lets just leave it there.

What do you think sets your blog aside from other ones that you’ve seen – What’s that special quality that your blog has?

Honestly, I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly different. I don’t take part in as many weekly features etc, as I don’t read as much as other bloggers seem to so I probably wouldn’t have anything to write about! I just wanted a place to post my reviews and join in with the blogger community.
I do enjoy trying to come up with snazzy shots…

What is your favorite reading place and why?

I read whenever and where ever I can, an Opportunist Reader, but I don’t have anywhere particularly special. I dream of a cosy armchair that I can curl up in; but I’m such a fidgetty sod, nowhere is comfy for too long. I enjoy the peace and quiet of my car oddly enough, arriving at my son’s nursery early and spending the intervening time in the warm cocoon of my car.

Which fictional character do you identify yourself with the most?

This one is tough. To a certain degree, Alice (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland); I often feel lost, that I don’t understand the rules. Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle); I often doubt my abilities. Nanny Ogg (Discworld); I sometimes have a bit of a filthy mind, and can’t go to the theatre without a pocketful of snacks.

What is your favorite ending to a book/movie/tv show?

This is a question I had to have a really good think about and come back to; but when it struck me, it struck hard. Of course it has to be Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time. Obviously I won’t actually spoil the novel and tell you what happens at the end; but suffice to say I absolutely didn’t see it happening. Which absolutely proved the point Tchaikovsky was making. My review is here.

What is a goal that you are looking to accomplish in 2018?

I’d love to read more Tolkien; I was given Beren and Luthien for my birthday, and Unfinished Tales has sat on my shelf waiting to be read for over a decade now. And of course there’s The Silmarillion. I’d certainly want to get these read before the TV show comes out!

Is there a cliche or trope in any form of entertainment that you just hate?

I’m not sure if this classifies as either of these, but I hate expo-dumps via dialogue, and reminders of what happened in previous books of a series…

“Do you recall that event where we almost died saving the world?”Yes. Obviously. How would I forget that, it lasted three fucking chapters.
“Yes, well, I’m going to give you a run down of it anyway. The character I’m talking to was there, but this conversation is completely natural.”

What is your favorite song/band?

It really kind of depends what mood I’m in? I love grunge, well, Pearl Jam (favourite song State of Love and Trust). I also really like musicals and my heart breaks that I didn’t have the opportunity to do drama at school; favourite musical… not sure, but my favourite songs include Maybe This Time (Caberet), On My Own (Les Mis), All that Jazz (Chicago).
Then I love oldie rock bands that I was brought up on, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac (The Chain), The Eagles (Desperado), Deep Purple (Hush)… And of course there’s the kind of music I listened to as an angsty teen, things like The Offspring, and Queens of the Stone Age, System of a Down, and Rage Against the Machine…
But omg how catchy is Rita Ora’s latest stuff?
I’m a bit all over the place.

Seeing Pearl Jam live in Hyde Park way back in 2010, before kids emptied our pockets

How do you decide what is going to be the next read?

I used to just pick up what I was most drawn to, but since starting this blog I’ve been reading review requests in the order I’ve been receiving them. I took a break to read some of my christmas presents, and now I have the Subjective Chaos Awards to work through; a twitter poll helped me decide where to start here!

How have you changed since starting a blog?

This is a fantastic question.
I’ve become more active on some forms of social media, less active on others; I guess this mirrors a change in where I’m happier spending my time. The book community on twitter attracts my attention far more than anything else online currently.
Most importantly, since I’ve started my blog I’m writing more than I ever did previously. Well, that’s not strictly accurate; since I’ve started my blog I’ve started writing. Specifically, fiction (not just on here!)

Thank you for the brilliant questions Chaz, I hope my answers were satisfactory!

Now then. Which of you wonderful bloggers shall I tag?? I dislike this part immensely. There’s that fear I’ll miss someone out and offend them. Also the fear that I’ll tag someone who hates these kinds of things and won’t want to do it… If you are either of these people 1) I am so so sorry, DM me, shout at me, and go ahead and do the tag anyway and 2) I am so so sorry, DM me, shout at me, and don’t bother doing the tag obviously.

Our society has been overrun by a totalitarianism dictatorship; knowledge is power, so any sources of knowledge are illegal and actively destroyed. Including books.
It is thirteen minutes past two in the morning and your door is being hammered in by a battering ram. They’re here. They of know your collection. But they do not know of your escape tunnel in the cellar.
You grab one book.
What is it?

Speaking of terrifying dystopias, which one keeps you up at night? (Not figuratively, just, which do you believe is the most scary)

You’ve had a hellish morning in work and you’re grateful to escape to the staff room/kitchen/canteen etc for lunch. Martha from three desks over is there, engrossed in a new book; the cover has a man’s naked torso on it so you keep walking (because for argument’s sake you’re like me and not a fan of romance/erotica etc). Phyllis is making a cuppa with her nose stuck in a book, but on closer examination, it’s the same one Martha’s reading. You sit at the table across from Susan and Suzanne and they’re poring over the same book, Sue eagerly assuaging Sue that she can borrow it after her because it’s so good.
Except, it isn’t. It’s domestic violence masquerading as risque S & M. Even your bloody mother has read it.
So what book do you despise that everyone else loves?

Speaking of unappealing, cliched book covers; what kind of cover to you find yourself instantly judging?

Despite the towering odds stacked against you, the gargantuan spider guarding the entrance, the most spirited attempts of that group of flesh eating cultists you stumbled across, and your debilitating fear of the dark; you have made it to the deepest part of the temple where it is rumoured Telmarric the Oathslinger’s magic crystal is hiding. You face an enormous bronze door featuring an inspiring pattern of faces stretched into the most hideous and gruesome visages. As you approach, the ground beneath your feet begins to shake. It begins to crack. You grasp the arm of your companion to stop yourself slipping into the widening abyss at your feet.
What fictional character is your companion?

Speaking of dungeon crawling, what would be the one thing to stop you in your tracks, turn your knees to jelly and send you packing?

It’s the morning commute. It’s seven o pissing clock in the morning and here you are on a bus/train, surrounded by strangers, but you’re miles away. You cannot put this book down, you were up until somewhere gone one and woke up shortly after to your alarm screaming at you and the book on your face. You’ve fallen hard. You’re invested. And you’ve just read a line that’s knocked you for six. That lump is in your throat and your eyes are tickling and your nose is betraying you but there are people looking at you.
What line was your downfall?

Speaking of public transport, if there was any way you could travel, any method from a work of fiction or otherwise, what would it be?

You’re scrolling through Twitter in a daze; you’ve had a long afternoon of [difficult work activity] and you just need to veg out. You’ve replied to four tweets with adorable cat gifs, tagged three celebrities in tweets fanpersoning over their shows, and retweeted eight furious tweets supporting a cause you will gladly die on a hill for; when your eye is caught by a sponsored tweet. IS TIME TRAVEL POSSIBLE?I believe it is and I believe I have the means. Test subjects required. No time wasters.
To what time period would you travel and why?

Speaking of hideous cliches, which is your least forgivable?

And those are all my questions, I hope you enjoy them and I very much look forward to your answers.I’d like to tag The Fantasy Hive in this too, as I’d love to hear your responses, but I get the impression you guys are crazy busy and this may be above your remit… feel free to DM me and shout at me like the others.

Thanks again for nominating me! I think a unique this about your blog is your own personality. So that’s one thing that sets it apart from others. That’s what makes all the blogs on here unique and appealing. 🙂

That’s such a good answer Zezee! I sometimes worry that my blog needs to do this or that or be more like someone else’s blog; I take for granted that we all have our own voices and that’s what sets us apart x